Attachment for refreshing typewriter-ribbons



P. B. MARVIN AND J. C. PHELAN. ATTACHMENT FOR REFRESHTNG TYPEWRITER mBoNs.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 4.1919.

Patented Nov. 9, 1920.

untreu sr'rEs APArl-:NT OFFICE.

PHILLIPS B. MARVIN, or soMERvILLII, MASSACHUSETTS, AND JOHN o. :PHELAIL or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, AsSIGNOns To INVISIBLE INK COMPANY, OF BOSTON, MASSA- CHUSETTS, A CORPORATION 0F MASSACHUSETTS.

ATTACHMENT FOR REFRES'HING TYPEWRITER-RIBBONS.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Application filed September 4.-, 1919.` Serial No. 321,607.

To LZZ whom t may concern:

Be It known that we, PHILLIPS B. MARVIN and JOHN C. PIIIILAN, citizens of the United States, residing, respectively, at Somerville, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, and Chicago, in the countA of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented new and useful Improvements in Attachments for Refreshing Typewriter-Ribbons, of which the following is a specification.

The object and purpose of this invention is to provide an attachment carrying. a solvent for the inks used to impregnate typewriter ribbons. which attachment is adapted to be applied upon the platen or cylinder of a visible-writing typewriting machine, in a position where the ribbon will be carried past it to receive a regulated l quantity of the solvent. One useful result or effect is that the ink in the Zones near the edges of the ribbon is caused by the solvent to permeate the central Zone, from which ink has been expelled to a greater or less'.

extent by striking of the types g and another effect is to preserve and increase the life of the ribbon, because the solvent used is of av somewhat oily nature, which keeps the fibers of the ribbon soft and pliant, and delays the wearing out of the ribbon by the abrasion `of the paper and types.

The invention is also intended for use for other machines, such as adding machines. addressing machines. etc.. by which typed impressions are made with the use of an inked ribbon. Therefore the term typewriting machine is used in thisspecification in a generic sense. typifying all machines using printing types and an inked ribbon to which the invention may be applied.

The reference above made to visible# writing typewriting machines is intended to mean machines of any sortusing printing types and an inked rieb-erf, wherein the ribbon is accessible to be engaged with a moistening device oi the sort 1n which our invention is embodied when such device is applied upon an adjacent part of the machine.

In the' drawings we have illustrated a preferred embodiment of our invention as adapted foi-,use with a typewriting machine of the species commonly so called, and of the class in which the ribbon is at the front side of the paper-supporting platen, this.

being the class of machine commonly referred to as a typewriter with visible writ- Ing. Y

In said drawings:

Figure l is a perspective view ofso much of said typewriting machine'as is necessary to illustrate the principle of our invention.

Patented Nov. 9, 1920.

Fig. 2 is a side view of the devicein which the invention is embodied, shown by itself.

F ig. 3 is a longitudinal central section of the device.

Fig. 4 is a plan view.

Fig. 5 is a view of the pattern or blank from which the casing of the device is made.

Fig. 6 is a cross section of the device. made on an enlarged scale.

Like reference characters indicate the same parts in all of the-figures.

Referring to Fig. l, L represents the paper-supporting cylindrical platen of one of the so-called visible-writing typewriting machines. is the inked ribbon. and 0 is the drum on which the wound ribbon is held, and from which it is drawn to a drum at the other side of the machine (not shown) when the machine is operated. Our ribbon refreshing device is detachably applied to a machine of this sort. and is provided with a clip d, adapted to be placed over the platen a, and with a holder e for the solvent or so lution by which the ribbon is treated.

Referring now to Figs. 2 to 6 inclusive for a detailed illustration, the clip (Z is shown as a fiat strip of springy material. s0 curved as to embrace a part of the platen and grip it, and one end of the clip is turned up and attached by soldering or otherwise to a guide f, having wings f which embrace the holder c. This guide may be made of sheet metal or any other sufficiently strong material. and the wings f may be resilient. whereby to grip the holder yieldingly and permit the same to be adjusted without need of other fastening means.

The holder consists of a casing, in which there is placed a tank g for the solvent, a roller I for applyingl the solvent to the ribbon, and a Wick z' for conveying the solvent from the interior of the tank to the roller. material, such as sheet metal, sheet Celluloid or other material, and we prefer to make it The casing may be made of sheetopen at one end lto permit of slipping Vthe solvent tank endwise into it, and to form its sides so that they willhug the tank.l and hold it in place frictionally with spring pressure, to provide lugs as and lo for 4the 'trunnions of the roller hi, and toprovide a guide for conducting the ribbon incontact with the surface of the roller but out of direct contact with the wick.

A pattern or blank, which we have found desirable for making out of one piece of material a casing having all of the featureslast mentioned, is shown in Fig. 5. This blank is'adapted to be folded or bent-on the dotted lines, and, after being so bent, the portion or panel e2 formsthe back, the

panels e3 and e4 the opposite sides, .c'theV top, and e7 the housing for the roller. The lugs and 7c, which provide the bearings 'for the roller, then lie across opposite ends ofsaid housing. Two deep slots Z and 'na are cut in the blank, between that `part 1 whichformsy the housing and the adjacent narrow zones or panels which form the front of-the casing. They are to receive and guide the ribbon. A notch n is cut in the upper end of the housing, and is flanked by points o and p, to make easier the passing of the ribbon through the slots and around the outer .side of the roller. As the lugs y' and ic are springy and resilient, the roller can be readily'placed in its bear- `lup on the drum c, it travels ovleil the roller.

rotating 1t, and receives a small amount of the solvent, this `being the amounttaken up by the roller as a thin film from the moist wick. The amount of solvent, although less than that which would either make the ink run or the ribbon greasy, is yet enough to cause a flow of ink from the unused edge parts of the: ribbon to the more or less eX- hausted middle part. rI`hus. the supply of ink in the used part is replenished.

` When the solution in one tank becomes exhausted, that tank may be removed and a full one substituted.,l The fact that the casing is open at one end and that it retains the'tank only by the "pressure of its sides makes it a very simple'matter to remove an empty tank andsubstitute another. To start the tank, inl removing it, we provide a hole 1 in 'the top wall of the casing, through which a pencil point or any other convenient tool may be passed and caused to bear on the adjacent end of t e tank.

The ribbon may be frequently treated in lthe manner described, and thereby kept in a condition to make firm, clear impressions;

. that is, until the fabric is entirely worn out,

'y ings by passing it through the open end of the casing, inserting one of the trunnions in Lhow much ofthe solution remainsin t'he tank. When' it is finishedit is leakagetight, and has only one opening, this being.

the slot g, through which the wick passes. The wick is bulky enough to pack the open ing, preventing free escape of the solvent therefrom, and allowing only enough solvent to be drawn out by capillary attraction to keep the exposed part ofthe wick moist. Likewise the wick is so tightly wedged -in the opening that it can not be removed and replaced by the user, whereby refilling of the vtank by the user is made impossible. The 'wick bears against the surface ofthe roller it, and transfers a thin. film of the solvent to it, when rotated by the ribbon.

` In use, the ribbon is placed between the roller and the walls of the housing, as .shown best in 6, and, being then wound th'e impressions may be substantially as brlght'and distinct as with a new ribbon; and the softening effect of the oily solution results in diminishing the mechanical wear on the ribbon.

We claim as our invention and desire to protect any device having essentially the characteristics pointed out in the following ,claims, without restriction to the machine 4 on which it is used.

What we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A device for refreshing typewriter ribbons, comprising a clip adapted to embrace a part of a typewriting machine, and having a guide, a holder contained in said guide and frictionally gripped by the sides of the latter, a tank for a solution, contained in said holder and having a wick, and a roller .rotatively mounted in the holder in contact with the wick and adapted to bear upon an inked ribbon when the clip is applied to a part vof the machine usingsuch a ribbon. 2. A means for refreshing typewriter ribbons adapted to be applied to a typewriter embodying a holder, a tank for solution, de. tachably contained in said holder, a roller `rotatively mounted by the holder, a wick passing from the interior of said tank into contact with the surface of the roller, and a housing connected with the holder embracing the roller, there being guideways between said housing and the balance of the holder to permit passage of the ribbon.

3. An inked ribbon refreshing device, comprising a tank for solvent having a slot, a wick passing through and filling said slot, a holder constructed as a casing embracing said tank and having lugs, a roller supported by said lugs in contact with said wick, and ribbon-guiding means on the cas# ing arranged to conduct an inked ribbon in Contact 'with the roller and out of Contact with the wick.

4. An inked ribbon refreshing device,

comprising atank for solvent having a slot, n

a wick passing through and filling said slot, a holder constructedas a casing embracing said tank and having lugs, a roller supported by said lugs in contact with said wick, and a clipl shaped to embrace the platen of a typewriting machine and having a guide in which said casing is held, whereby said device is applicable to machines of various types.

5. An inked ribbon refreshing device, comprising a casing having back and. side walls and a front housing and being open at oneend, a solvent tank tting between the side walls and being resiliently held thereby, a wick passing from the interior of the tank toward'said housing, and a roller mounted rotatably within the housing in' surface contact with the wick; therev being continuing openings at the sides and one end of the housing to admit a ribbon edgewse into contact with the opposite side of the roller from the wick.

6. A refreshing attachment of the character described, comprising a casing, a tank containing solution removably held in said casing and having a transparent wall, whichI wall is exposed to view from outside of the casing, whereby the content of solution. in

the tank may be observed, and means for transferring solution from said tank to anl inked ribbon passed adjacent to it.

7 In a device of the sort and for the purpose set forth, a casing having an open end and embracing side walls, a tank adapted to contain a typewriter-ribbon-refreshing solution fitting removably between said walls and having itself a transparent end wall eX* posed to view through the open end of the casing, and means for transferring solution from said tank to a typewriter ribbon travelingiast it.

8. refreshing attachment, comprisin a casing, a tank for soliition, and means 2(for transferring solution from said tank to an inked ribbon, the casing having walls adaptf ed to bear frietionally upon the sides of the tank, and having an open end through which the tank may be passed endwise, said casing having also an opening for admission of an instrument to push the tank outward from the open casing end.

9. y A device for'refreshing typewriter ribbons, comprising a holder, atankI for solution detachably held in said holder and hav` ing a, slot, said tank being otherwise effec tually closed, a wick passing through said slot and closing the same against leakage or possibility of refilling, and a roller rotatively mounted on the holder and being in Contact with said wick for transferring solution therefrom to a ribbon passing in contact with the roller.

In testimony whereof we haveaflixed our' 

